Charles c



C. C. MORRIS.

I TOBACCO CUTTER. (Application filed Apr. 18, 1896. Renewed Jan. 3, 1898.)

No. 606,874. Patented July 5, I898.

(No Model.)

5o central section.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES C. MORRIS, OF WALDEOK, NEW ZEALAND. V

i TOBACCO-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 606,874-, dated July 5, 1898. Application filed April 18, 1896. Renewed January 3, 1898. Serial No. 665 A73. (N0 model.)

,To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES CHASE Mon- RIs, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Waldeck, in the town of Riverton, Province of Otago, Colony of New Zealand, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Cutters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof. 1

This invention relates to apparatus adapted for cutting cake or plug tobacco, and has for its object to provide a cutter which shall be efficient and rapid in its action,'shall form its own gage, so that the tobacco is cut up into shavings of uniform thickness, shall'be compact and occupy little space, so that'it may be constructed for carrying j'inithe'pocket of the user, and shall have little tendency. to get out of repair, have few parts, and be light and cheap to manufacture.

In a tobacco-cutter embodying my -invention a revoluble cylindrical carrier is employed, and a cuttingeknife or two'or more cutting-knives are secured upon this carrier and project sufficiently to slice the tobacco into shavings after the manner of a carpenters plane. This cylindrical carrier, with its cutting knife or knives, fits freely within a circular case which has an opening in its circumference to a feed-tube. 'Theftoba'cco to be cut fits loosely within the feed-tube and may be pressed upon the cutting knife or knives by the finger, the tubebeing slotted for that purpose. One side of the cylindrical carrier may be left open, while the other side is closed and has aprojection passing through the case, upon whichis mounted an actuatingdisk having projections or otherwise shaped so that it may be readily grasped and turned by the operator.

In orderthat my invention may be easily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains, I-will now proceed to describe in detail the pocket tobacco-cutter embody-- ing my invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical central section of thelower part of the cutter. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation, partly in section.

The casingv comprises a feed-tube a and a cylindrical case b at the lower end thereof. These two parts may be made in one piece or of separate pieces secured together, as desired. The feed-tube ahas an unobstructed opening at its lower end into the cylindrical case b and has a slot in front extending through its length for admission of the forefinger, and its back is shown as partly cut away to save weight, and this feed-tube may be made of any suitable size to receive various sizes of tobacco.

WVithin the cylindrical case b is fitted the carrier 0, also of cylindrical form, having extended peripheries or flanges c c at front and rear which may fit against the inner periphcry of the case b, but with its curved or circumferential surface 0 of smaller diameter than the case, so as to leave an annular space between the case and carrier for the cuttingknives d Two cutting-knives cl are shown but a greater or less number may be used, and it would probably be desirable to employ a greater number of knives on carriers of larger diameter. These cutting-knives are of curved shape, as shown, and are secured to the carrier preferably so as to permit of adj ustmentof their cutting edges relatively to the openings shown as formed in the curved circumference c of the carrier in proximity to said cutting edges of the knives, and this adjustment is provided for by slots formed in the carrier for the holding-screws e, these screws being secured to the knives and having nuts on their inner ends clamping against the inner surface of the carrier. The tobacco within the feed-tube Cb Wlll rest against the curved circumference c of the carrier 0, and as the knives 01 may freely revolve within the circular casein the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 3 a slice of tobacco will be cut by each knife as it passesunder the tobacco. The cutting edges of the knives project beyond the openings in the curved circumference c of the carrier, so that the slice or shavingof' tobacco may fall into the interior of the carrier.

The front of the carrier 0 is open, so that the tobacco shavings will readily fall therefrom into the palm of the hand when the cutter is operated in the manner hereinafter set forth. The back of the carrier is closed and is proy'ided with a projection f, extending through and preferably fitted into a circular opening in the back of the case b, and an actuating-disk g is mounted upon the rear end of the projection f, this rear end of the projection fbeing shown as squared, (see Fig. 5,) so that the carrier 0 and actuating-diskg will rotate together, and a screw it and washer are shown for holding the disk 1 and the carrier 0 together axially. The disk 9 is shown as provided with a circular flange extending a short distance forwardly over the outer periphery of the case I) to give a neat finish and stiffen the disk, and the disk is also shown as provided with projections g g to insure a firm grip by the operator, or may be otherwise shaped to this end.

In the operation of my improved cutter, a stick of tobacco having been placed in the feed-tube, the open side of the carrier and case may be held resting upon the palm of the left hand and the feed-tube grasped by the thumb and all of the fingers except the forefinger, which may be left free to press the tobacco toward the cutting-knives. The actuating-disk 9 may then be revolved by the right hand in the direction shown by the arrows in Fig. 3, and the carrier and knives will revolve with the actuating-disk and cut the tobacco into thin slices, which will fall into the interior of the carrier and thence into the palm of the hand. The operation may be continued until sufficient tobacco is cut, a fresh length of tobacco being introduced behind the first when the latter is nearly cut away, so that the entire stick will be cut up without waste.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that I provide an efficient tobaccocutter which gages the thickness of the slices cut by means of the circumference c and the knives and which may be readily carried in the pocket and conveniently operated in the hands without the aid of any support or table. In some instances it may be desirable to construct the cutter of larger dimensions, and either the case may be held on a suitable support and the carrier rotated by hand or the carrier held by suitable means and the case moved by hand, either oscillated backward and forward or rotated in one direction. For a larger cutter a greater number of cutting knives may be desirable. The knives (Z should be made of tempered steel; but the other parts may be made of sheet-brass stamped in the desired forms and may be plated wit-h nickel or silver and highly finished.

I do not limit myself to the exact details hereinbefore specified and shown in the drawings; but

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tobacco-cutter comprising a feed'tube formed with a slot at one side, a case into which said feed-tube opens at one end of the feed-tube, a rotatable carrier in said case and a cutting-knife upon said carrier, said carrier having a guide-surface above which the cutting edge of the knife projects and said case being open at one side and said carrier also open at the same side, and said carrier having an opening in its circumference for the passage of the slice cut by the knife and said feed-tube having its greatest length of cross-section substantially at right angles to the axis of rotation of the knife, substantially as set forth.

2. A tobacco-cutter comprising the feedtube a having a slot at its front side, the cylindrical case Z) into which said feed-tube opens at one end of the feed-tube, the rotatable cylindrical carrier 0 in said case having a circumferential part c of smaller diameter than the inner periphery of the case, and having flanges c, c, the knives (Z, (Z, secured upon said carrier 0 with their cutting edges in the annularspace between the carrier and case and projecting above the circumferential part c of the carrier, whereby said circumferential part 0 forms a guide or step during the cutting operation to gage the thickness of the slice, said circumferential part 0 having openings in proximity to the cutting edges of the knives for the passage of the slices cut, said case b and carrier 0 being open in front for the final escape of such slices, and said carrier 0 having a central projection f extending rearwardly through the case, and the actuating-disk g secured upon said projection f, substantially as set forth.

In a tobacco-cutter, in combination, the case Z), the rotatable cylindrical carrier 0 in said case having a circumferential part 0", the knives cl, d, secured upon said carrier with their cutting edges extending beyond the outer periphery of the circumferential part 0 whereby said circumferential part 0" forms a guide or step during the cutting operation to gage the thickness of the slice, said circumferential part 0 having openings in proximity to the cutting edges for the passage of the slices out, said case Z1 and carrier 0 being open in front for the final escape of such slices, and said carrier 0 having a central projection f extending rearwardly through the case, and the actuating-disk g secured upon said projection f, substantially as set forth.

4. A tobacco-cutter comprising the feedtube a having a slot at its front side, the case 7) into which said feed-tube opens at one end of the feed-tube, the rotatable cylindrical carrier 0 in said ease having a circumferential part o the knives (l, d, adjustably held against the outer periphery of the circumferential part c with their cutting edges extending beyond said circumferential part 0 whereby said circumferential part 0 forms a guide or stop during the cutting operation to gage the thickness of the slice, said circumferential part 0 having openings in proxinr ity to the cutting edges for the passage of the slices cut, said case b and carrier 0 being open in front for the final escape of such slices, and said carrierchaving a central projection f extending rearwardly through the [0 case, and the actuating-disk g secured upon said projection f, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 10th day of March, 1896.

CHAS. G. MORRIS.

I11 presence of W. G. NEILL, FREDERICK DAVIDSON. 

